National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) Practice Exam 2026 - Free NDEB Practice Questions and Study Guide

Tic douloureux is another term for trigeminal neuralgia, a condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for sensation in the face. This condition is characterized by sudden, severe facial pain that can be triggered by everyday activities like chewing or speaking. Bell's palsy, on the other hand, is a condition that causes temporary paralysis of the facial muscles, usually due to inflammation or compression of the facial nerve. Aphthous ulcers are small, painful sores that commonly develop in the mouth, while temporal arteritis is a condition that involves inflammation of the arteries in the head and neck. While all of these conditions can cause pain or discomfort in the head and face, only trigeminal neuralgia is specifically referred to as tic douloureux.